The Charlotte Hornets are reportedly interested in a number of free agents as they look to round out their roster this offseason.
According to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, Jordan Hill is on the Charlotte Hornets‘ radar this summer. Deveney mentioned that they ha shown interest in the free agent big man. The veteran played last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The article adds that “Also on the radar as the Hornets consider big men are shooter Ersan Ilyasova, versatile young forward Terrence Jones and former Heat center Willie Reed.” Rich Cho has already said that the Hornets are looking to add a sixth big to their roster. Any one of these free agents could be a low-risk signing for Charlotte.
Because of their salary cap situation, the Hornets are limited in terms of who they can sign this summer. They’ve already used part of their Mid-Level Exception to bring in Michael Carter-Williams and second-round pick Dwayne Bacon. Now approaching the luxury tax, Charlotte will likely try to bring in a veteran minimum player.
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Last season, Hill averaged 1.7 points per game and 0.9 rebounds in only seven games with Minnesota. Despite a career-worst season, he is only 29-years old and looking for a new home. Steve Clifford was an assistant coach for the Lakers while Jordan played in LA so a reunion is a possibility.
As for Ilyasova, he played for three different teams last year but was actually an effective player for both the 76ers and the Hawks. He managed to put up 13.1 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game during the 2016-17 season. In my opinion, it would be hard for Charlotte to get Ersan on a deal that keeps them under the luxury tax.
(Update: Ilyasova has agreed to a one-year, $6 million deal with the Hawks.)
In 54 total games for two teams last year, Terrence Jones averaged 10.8 points and 5.7 rebounds. He’s now an unrestricted free agent and looking for his fourth team in three seasons. He was waived twice during the 2016-17 season and once after only three games with the Bucks.
Willie Reed spent last season with the Miami Heat as he averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds as their backup center. He appeared in 71 games and was a consistent figure in Eric Spoelstra’s rotation. After declining his player option for next year, the big man became an unrestricted free agent.
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It will be interesting to see if the Charlotte Hornets can agree to a deal with any of these four free agents. One thing that is clear is that they are actively looking to add another big to their roster this summer.